Automatic stop for cotton harvesters



`lian. 1l, 1949. y.D. Rus'r 2,458,531

AUTOMATIC STOP FOR COTTON HARVESTERS Filed April 18, 1944 Joh/22. lima,

Patented Jan. 11, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMATIC STOP FORCOTTON HARVESTERS John D. Rust, Memphis, Tenn.

Application April 18, 1944, Serial No. 531,632

3 Claims.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in spindletype cotton picking machines in general, and in particular to machinesof the character disclosed in Letters Patent No. 1,894,198` issuedJanuary 10, 1933, No. Re. 19,411, reissued January 1, 1935, No,2,085,046, issued June Z9, 1937, and No. 2,200,303, issued May 14, 1940.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide safety meansfor automatically protecting the machine against injury in cases ofabnormal harvesting conditions, said means to include a means incombination with the doler for stopping the machine in the event thatdamp cotton, vines, grass and the like should ball up on the doifer.

Other objects will in part be obvious and in part will be pointed outhereinafter.

To the attainment of the aforesaid objects and ends the inventionfurther resides in those novel details of construction, combination andarrangement of parts, all of which will be rst described in thefollowing detailed description, and then be pointed out in the appendedclaims, reference being had to the accompanying' drawing, in

which:

Fig. l is a top plan view of a cotton picking machine embodying mypresent invention, parts being broken away and other parts being shownin section.

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the wall plate forming a part ofa circuit closing device.

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of a portion of a circuit closerthat is directly associated with the doifer.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation, somewhat diagrammatic, of a self-propelledmachine embodying the invention.

In the drawings, like numerals of reference indicate like parts in allthe figures, beginning with Figure l, the numeral I represents the mainframe of the machine, 2 the driving shaft, and 3 the driven shaft of thespindle-carrying slat belt.

The shafts 2 and 3 carry the sprocket wheels 4 about which the chains 5pass. The chains 5 carry the stats 6 in which the spindles I arerotatably mounted. All of the foregoing may be of the usual constructionas these parts, per se, do not comprise a part of the present invention,nor does the front guard comb device 8 for the stalk guards 9 constitutea part of the present invention, the guard comb 8 being present toprevent cotton being drawn over the front end of the stalk guards 9between the guards 9 and the chains and slats.

On the curved bar II) of the inner frame I Il, II of the machine is abridge member I2 which forms, with the bar I0, a slot into which one endof a floating bar I3 projects. The other end of the bar I3 is springloaded as at 4l. The bar I3 carries a stub shaft I4 on which is mounteda pair of connected pulleys I5 and I E. A belt I8 passes about thepulley I6 and about a pulley I1 on the shaft 2, while a belt I9 passesabout the pulley I5 and a pulley 20 on the doffer shaft 25. The doffersaws 2l are carried in suitably spaced relation by the shaft and theteeth of the saws project between stripper bars 22 secured to an uprightsupport 23 fixed to the frame of the machine. The picking spindles I intheir travel pass between the saws and the bars 22 in a manner similarto that disclosed in my Patent No. 2,200,303 aforesaid.

lReferring now to the tiltable wall plate 2'I, a detail of which isshown in Figure 2, a pin 26 is carried by and projects upwardly from theframe bottom cross bar In to receive a tubular bearing 29 that is weldedor otherwise suitably secured to the lower end of the wall plate 21. Theplate 21 extends from adjacent the doffer to the throat 38 of thesuction duct 39 and has a wing 30 that projects into that throat and aflange 3| that lies outside but along the throat vertically. The wing 30and the flange 3l serve as stops for the plate. The plate 21 is bentback upon itself as at 28 for a purpose presently made clear. The upperedge of the plate 2I is notched as at 32 to receive the hook end 36 ofan arm 35 that is secured to the outer end of a spring arm 34. The arm34 is xed at its other end to a bracket 33 secured to the frame bar Ib.The arm 34 is one element of a circuit closer, the other element ofwhich is an insulated fixed contact 3'I suitably mounted on a frame barIb.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 3, a shaft 40 is journaled in suitablebearings in the frame of the machine and carries a plurality of ngers 4|that extend between the saws 2 I. A contact arm 42 is also secured tothe shaft 40' and is drawn to a normal position by a spring 45 whichpulls the arm against an adjustable stop 44 and tends to hold thefingers in their proper place, i. e. in operative position, between thesaws 2l of the doffer mounted on shaft 25. A xed contact 43, suitablyinsulated and mounted on the frame of the machine, cooperates with thearm 42 as a circuit closer. ,"Ihe contacts 3'I and 43 are electricallyconnected together and to the magneto 49 which constitutes the currentgenerator of the power plant 5B of the tractor 5I (which tractor carriesthe picking machine proper M) by a wire 48. When either circuit closeris closed the magneto will be grounded and the machine be brought to acomplete stop.

The arrangement of parts in Fig 4 islijefthat shown in my'Patent No.2,073,653.

Referring again to Fig. 1, an upright'plate 48 forms the outer or backwallof the passageway P into which the doier throws the cotton as it isstripped from the spindles by bars 22 and from which it is drawn bysuction through duct 39, as in my patents aforesaid.

In the event that cotton builds up about the doffer between the saws 2|and tends to jam the same, it will push out the fingers 4I (constitutingan operating element), thereby turning the shaft 40 far enough to bringarm 42 into contact with contact point 43, thereby closing the circuitand grounding the magneto 49, which immediately stops the engine 50 andconsequently stops the machine. Should, for any reason, the doffer jamwithout operating the circuit closer, the belt i9 will slip withoutdamaging the machine. The spring-loaded floating pulleys I5, i6 alsoallow for taking up bearing wear and belt stretch automatically.

In the event that cotton piles up at the entrance-way to the dofferfaster than the doffer can take care of it, the wall 2l will be crowdedaway from the spindles by the pressure of the 4 mounting said movablecontact member adjacent said dofrer, means continuously tending to moveV said movable contact member out of contact with cotton against thewall part 28, thereby pulling arm and bending spring arm 34 'againstcon'- tact 3T, thereby closing the circuit and grounding the magneto andstopping the machine so as to avoid damage and to enable it to becleaned quickly. By lifting the hook 436 and consequently releasing thewall 21, the wall may be lifted out of the machine, thereby giving roomlfor access to the piled up cotton without the necessity of unboltingthe parts.

While I have shown and described a safety signal device for indicatingan accumulation of cotton about the spindles, I do not claim it in thisapplication as that subject matter constitutes the subject matter of adivisional application filed May 12, 1947, Serial No. 747,356.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing, it is thought the construction, operation andadvantages of my invention will be clear to those skilled in the art.

What I claim is:

1. In a power driven cotton picking machine wherein are provided sets ofrotating cotton gathering spindles, a set of stripping bars betweenwhich the spindles are drawn to remove the cotton from the spindles, arotary dofer which includes circularly arranged sets of teeth on arotating body, the teeth projecting between the stripping bars and lyingin planes above the spindles: the improvement which comprises a currentgenerator for the power plant of the machine, a circuit closer includinga ixed contact and a movable contact member, means for said fixedcontact to keep the circuit open, said movable contact member includinga set ot fingers projecting between the teeth of said dofier and locatedin a position to be operated by an accumulation of cotton on the doii'erfor closirlr the circuit between the ilxed contact and said movablecontact member.

2. In a cotton picking machine having a plurality of cotton gatheringspindles, a set of stripping bars between which the spindles are drawnto receive cotton from the spindles and a rotary dofier located adjacentsaid bars in cooperative association with the bars and spindles; theinvention which comprises a circuit closer having an element held inoperative relation to said doiier for actuation by cotton on the dofler,a current generator for the power plant of the ma- .chine, and aconnection between said circuit closer and said current generator byvirtue of all of which when cotton accumulates on the doiIer saidcircuit closer will ground said current generatoi'.

3. In a cotton picking machine having a plurality of cotton gatheringspindles, a set of stripping bars between which the spindles are drawnto receive cotton from the spindles and a rotary doffer located adjacentsaid vbars in cooperative association with the bars and spindles; theinvention which comprises a. circuit closer having an element held inoperative relation to said dofier for actuation by cotton on the doer, acurrent generator for the power plant of the machine, and a connectionbetween said Vcircuit closer an'd said current generator by virtue ofall of which when cotton accumulates on the dofier said circuit closerwill ground said current generator, said circuit closer elementincluding a series of fingers projecting between dofiing elements ofsaid doier and being pivotally mounted and provided with meanscontinuously tending to operate said circuit closer to open the circuit.

JOHN D. RUST.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 993,460 Rice May 30, 19111,008,230 White Nov. "I, 1911 1,077,818 Eagar Nov. 4, 1913 1,759,086Berry May 20, 1930 1,855,838 Kranick Apr. 26, 1932 2,073,653 Rust et al.Mar. 16, 1937 2,109,506 Rust Mar. 1, 1938 2,143,901 Rust et al Jan. 17,1939 2,162,750 Rust June 20, 1939 2,200,303 Rust May 14, 1940 2,369,708Baker et al Feb. 20, 1945

